Dr Agata Karska from the Astronomy Center of the University in Toruń will receive PLN 2 million to create a research team. The grant comes from the competition of the Foundation for Polish Science in the FIRST TEAM program.

The money is allocated to the project “Laboratory of Molecular Astrophysics: regions of star formation in the outer parts of the Galaxy”. Researchers plan to identify the “pre-school” stars and their characterization through a series of astronomical observations using the best telescopes in the world.

As part of the project, the first Polish research group dealing with astrochemistry (or molecular astrophysics) will be created. This is a dynamically developing interdisciplinary field of science investigating space chemistry in the world.

The long-term goal of scientists and companies is to create a laboratory in Poland to design parts for the most important astronomical telescopes of the future.
More: https://www.umk.pl/wiadomosci/?id=25613